New Residential Zones

The Residential Zones Standing Advisory Committee’s report in relation to Kingston’s draft Residential Zone Amendment has now been released.

Council will now take time to consider and determine next steps.

In the meantime, the provisions that came in to effect on 1 July this year, that essentially maintain the existing Council local planning policies, will remain in place.

Update 16 June, 2014

The Minister for Planning’s media release on Monday 16 June identified Kingston as one of 24 Councils to move to neutral conversion until the Residential Zones Standing Advisory Committee is completed.

The transition provisions that came into effect on 1 July 2014, essentially maintain in full the existing Council local planning policies.

‘Residential 3 Zone’ will now be called ‘General Residential Zone Schedule 3 (General Residential Areas B)’ over the interim period.

Importantly, these changes relate to the way residential zones are referred to; they do not change the scope or intent of the previous zones.

Background information

Planning zones in Victoria have been reformed. New and amended zones were approved by the Minister for Planning on 1 July 2013. Councils were given a timeline of 1 July 2014 to introduce the new residential zones into their Planning Schemes.

The City of Kingston has proposed Draft Amendment C140 to introduce the new residential zones into the Kingston Planning Scheme. Draft Amendment C140 was exhibited for public comment during March 2014. All submissions to the Draft Amendment were considered by an Advisory Committee at a hearing conducted on 12-15 May 2014.

An Advisory Committee is a body of experts appointed by the Minister for Planning to consider proposed amendments and all submissions received. The Advisory Committee was required to report to the Minister for Planning by 12 June 2014.

On 16 June 2014, the Government released a media statement saying that the “twenty four remaining councils will undergo a neutral conversion on 1 July. Any outstanding issues considered by the Residential Zones Standing Advisory Committee (RZSAC) will then be put in place promptly”.

On 1 July 2014, Amendment VC116 was gazetted to implement the “General Residential Zone into Victorian planning schemes where the reformed residential zones have not been applied by 1 July 2014”.

Ways to find out more

Speak to a Council Officer on the phone by calling 1300 653 356

View the Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure website